In a lawsuit against three Indiana government officials, a labor union alleged on Wednesday that its constitutional rights under the Thirteenth Amendment  which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude  are violated whenever its members are forced to work alongside nonunion employees.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, whose members work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics and construction surveyors, sued Indianas governor, attorney general, and labor commissioner in February, alleging that the states right to work law is unconstitutional.

Indianas law prohibits employers from making union membership a condition of getting or keeping a job. The unions February lawsuit claimed the law violated its members Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law.

But an amended complaint filed on Wednesday added a Thirteenth Amendment claim as well. The new lawsuit suggests that when nonunion employees earn higher salaries and better benefits because of the unions negotiation on behalf of its members, the union has been forced to work for those nonunion employees for free.

And being forced to work without compensation, the union suggested in its revised lawsuit, is slavery.

In this case, the Defendants have exacted compulsory service and/or involuntary servitude from the Union through the combination of the passage of the Right to Work law and the existing federal requirement of the duty of fair representation, the amended complaint reads.

” The new lawsuit suggests that when nonunion employees earn higher salaries and better benefits because of the unions negotiation on behalf of its members, the union has been forced to work for those nonunion employees for free.”

This is going to put John Semmens out of business. How do you parody stuff like this?

Indianas law prohibits employers from making union membership a condition of getting or keeping a job. The unions February lawsuit claimed the law violated its members Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law.

This is just silly. The law is protecting workers paychecks from the unions!

13
posted on 04/22/2012 4:02:37 AM PDT
by SECURE AMERICA
(Where can I sign up for the New American Revolution and the Crusades 2012?)

In a lawsuit against three Indiana government officials, a labor union alleged on Wednesday that its constitutional rights under the Thirteenth Amendment  which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude  are violated whenever its members are forced to work alongside nonunion employees.

Oh, I get it: Those poor Union members were kidnapped and no doubt, at the point of a gun, "FORCED" to work alongside nonunion employees.

That is an amazing type of slavery where you don't have to flee north to Canada by the Underground Railroad pursued by men with dogs and guns trying to bring you back. Instead all you have to do is drop union membership and privately negotiate your pay. Imagine if slaves on southern (Democratic) plantations just had to say to their owners "this whole slavery thing isn't working for me, so I would like to be free and also paid to work here."

The good thing about this is that this shows they have run out of any rational arguments to fight right to work laws.

19
posted on 04/22/2012 6:31:58 AM PDT
by KarlInOhio
(You only have three billion heartbeats in a lifetime.How many does the government claim as its own?)

The new lawsuit suggests that when nonunion employees earn higher salaries and better benefits because of the unions negotiation on behalf of its members, the union has been forced to work for those nonunion employees for free.

Gee, Mr. Union, someone is FORCING you to do what you do? That does sound bad.

Now, see, if you would just help get Conservatives elected to office, we could get an Attorney General to go after those dastardly people and then you'd be free to go out and look for a job where you aren't being threatened with a flogging for stepping out of line.

Prayers up for you, Mr. U.

23
posted on 04/22/2012 8:00:27 AM PDT
by Texas Eagle
(If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.